Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo welcomes family of 5 grey wolves from Vancouver
Curator hopes connection with wolf pack inspires conservation, understanding of their importance
Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg is inviting guests to connect with and meet a new family of five grey wolves that it welcomed from the Greater Vancouver Zoo on Thursday.
The pack includes the parents, seven-year-old Chinook and Gigi, and their three offspring — Comet, who is male, and Stella and Virgo, who are female — curator Shane Pratt told CBC News on Friday. The pups are three years old.
"This is really big. They're very interactive animals," Pratt said.
"We really like having people connect with our animals and inspire people to conserve," as well as "learn about how important they are for ecosystems," he said.
The family's arrival follows the death of Bear, 14, in March, the last grey wolf in the zoo's original pack, the Assiniboine Park Conservancy said in a Friday press release.
"Grey wolves are an iconic Canadian species that can be found across the country, including right here in Manitoba," Dr. Chris Enright, senior director of zoological operations, said in the release.
"Unfortunately, fear and misunderstanding have led to instances of human-wolf conflict and, in some cases, over-hunting," he said.
"Educating people about the critical role keystone species like wolves play in their ecosystems and why they should be protected is an important part of what we do here at the zoo."
So far, the new pack appears to be adapting fairly well into their expansive boreal forest and grasslands habitat, Pratt said, with Gigi being the first to come out and showing the most confidence.
Due to the ongoing wildfire situation, Pratt says they're keeping a close eye on air quality statements, especially for those animals with the most sensitive lungs, such as birds.
The zoo has policies and protocols in place to help move animals into a cleaner air environment, Pratt said.
"We haven't really seen any animals in distress yet," he said.
"We're very thankful, because we like keeping animals outside as long as possible."
The family of grey wolves joins other new additions at the zoo since last fall, including three red pandas, called Suva, Mei Mei and Kelly, and a Siberian musk deer named Ozzy, the conservancy said in the release.
The zoo is also hosting an exhibit called the Survival of the Slowest featuring a hedgehog, a bearded dragon and two-toed sloths, along with other animals, until Sept. 1.
